Foundry equipment



May 1, 1956 Filed Oct. 20, 1953 FIG. l

O. C. BERRY FOUNDRY EQUIPMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

OTTO CARTER BERRY Wmfl WWW;

ATTYS May 1, 1956 o. c. BERRY FOUNDRY EQUIPMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20, 1953 FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

OTTO CARTER BERRY ATTYS.

May 1, 1956 Filed Oct. 20, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4

I f m 95 Z 2 ID I m/ m E w a: :n a: i m E a E 2 l2 1 2 92 E W 1 FIG 5 I00 99 INVENTOR.

OTTO CARTER BERRY I ATTYS.

nited States Patent FOUNDRY EQUIPMENT Otto Carter Berry, Cleveland, Ohio Application October 20, 1953, Serial No. 387 ,104

7 Claims. (Cl. 22-77) This invention relates to a foundry for producing duplicate castings in large numbers and more particularly to a correlation of various items of foundry equipment to enable them to perform a number of operations with a minimum of human attention. A machine capable of doing a considerable number of operations on a large number of parts tends to become complicated and expensive. Every precaution must be taken to prevent a shutdown and to make the various parts self-contained, easy to remove-and as nearly independent in their action as possible. Precautions that tend to prevent a shutdown rank in importance with the devices that accomplish the operations required of the machine.

The principal objects of this invention are the followmg:

the casting machine can be installed on the conveyer very quickly and be as quickly removed, without stopping the conveyer or affecting the operation of any other unit in the foundry.

To provide a conveyer that can carry a series of molds past a source of molten metal and equipment that can deliver a charge of metal to each mold as it passes.

To provide a pump driven by a motor equipped with a limit switch that will stop the motor when the pump has completed one delivery cycle.

To provide equipment that will deliver metal to a mold only when the mold is entirely closed.

To provide equipment that will cause a mold to open at the expiration of a predetermined period of time after it has received its charge of molten metal.

To provide safety equipment such that after a conveyer has carried a casting machine past a furnace where its mold has received its metal and later past an opening station, if the casting machine fails to open and thereafter passes the furnace a second time with the mold closed, the mold will receive no metal.

To provide equipment such that the amount of metal delivered to a mold can be controlled by an adjustment on its casting machine.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of this invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a turntable conveyer with individual removable casting machines carried thereby, and showing an associated holding furnace serving as a source of molten metal with delivery means associated therewith, the section of one casting machine being taken along line 1-1 of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a preferred form of a casting machine embodying the features of this invention, sections of the side walls of the machine being broken away to reveal some of the internal structure which cooperate with other structures, shown in Figure l, to control the amount of metal delivered to the mold, and also illustrates the arrangement of various control devices around the turntable that cooperate with parts of the casting machine to provide electrical contact;

To provide a casting machine and conveyer such that Patented May 1, 1956 Figure 3 is a sectional view of the switch actuating device 23, taken perpendicular to the axis of shaft 25 of Figure 2; I

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the holding furnace in the pump, taken on the line indicated at 4-4 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line indicated at 5-5 in Fig. l and showing the pump actuator and the pump stroke control device.

An application, entitled Foundry System, Serial Number 387,233, filed concurrently herewith, illustrate a gen: eral arrangement of melting furnaces, holding furnaces and turntable conveyer means with a swinging delivery tube for delivering molten metal to a moving mold.

A second application, entitled Casting Machine, Serial Number 387,197 filed concurrently herewith, teaches the construction of a casting machineunit rollable on wheels. The casting machine is a completely contained operative unit whenever connected to a suitable source of: electric power.

A third application, entitled Molten Metal Pump, Serial Number 387,198 filed concurrently herewith, teaches the construction of a displacement-plunger type of pump with an' adjustment means that enables the pump to deliver an accurately measured volume of metal at any desired adjustment, the adjustment means being such that it can vary the charge to any volume between zero and the maximum capacity of the pump.

A fourth application entitled Pump for Molten metal, Serial Number 387,199 filed concurrently herewith, teaches the construction of a dipper type of pump associated with a measuring device and an adjustment means that enables the pump to deliver an accurately measured volume of metal at any desired adjustment, the adjustment means being such that it can vary the charge to any volume between the smallest desired and the maximum capacity of the pump.

The present application contemplates the use of the casting machine of the second concurrent application listed above, mounted on the turntable of the first application, along with the pump of either the third or fourth applications. The safety devices and controls necessary to accomplish the objects of the invention are also presented.

In the drawings, the turntable is illustrated by the reference character 67 and the casting machines by the reference character 14. Molten metal is supplied by a holding furnace 10, which is equipped with a pump 11, operated by an electric motor 12, through a belt drive .13. The motor 12 operates only when metal is demanded for delivery to a partable mold M on a molding machine 14, and is equipped with a limit switch that stops its operation as soon as pump 11 has completed one delivery cycle. Such limit switches are Well known to those versed in the electrical art.

In Figure 2, the various controls cooperating with the casting machine are shown as though they were in the same plane. Their actual distribution around the'turntable is shown in Figure 1. The object in Figure 2. is to illustrate how the controls fit up to the turntable and casting machine. The post 24 for pump starter control 22 is the same height as the post for the safety device 33, and both are placed so as to contact the tip of the pump starter actuator arm 23 on the casting machine, when arm 23 is in a horizontal position. The horizontal top sections of both posts are long enough to allow shaft 62, in its most extended position, to clear the posts. Shaft 62 is low enough to pass under the horizontal top sections of the posts and high enough to clear mold-opening actuator 32.

As set forth above, it is one object of this invention to provide the plurality of casting machines 14 which are entirely independent except that they are installed on the same turntable, and to make such casting machines 14 quickly installable upon the turntable 67 and as quickly removable therefrom, in order that casting machines may be exchanged while the turntable is in operation and without interfering in any way with the normal operation of the balance of the casting machines upon the turntable or interruption of normal production. In order to make the molding machines 14 readily exchangeable, the turntable 67 is provided with a plurality of stalls 15 permanently secured to the top of the turntable. The interconnection of the casting machines 14 and the stalls 15 is illustrated in the eight oclock position on the turntable 67 of Figure 1. This particular illustration is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of Figure 2. The stall, as illustrated, may be readily constructed of steel strips 17 welded to corner posts 18 accurately positioned and held to close tolerances. The casting machine 14 is provided with a rectangular guide frame 16 to fit closely into the stall. The casting machine 14 is provided with wheels 68 which hold the lower edge of the frame 16 about six inches above the floor surface of the turntable. The strips 17 of the stall 15 are held by legs 69 to a height of about six inches. The legs are bolted to the turntable. The frame 16 of casting machine 14 is locked into the stall 15 by suitable pins 19 extending through registering holes in the stall and frame, as illustrated in Figure l.

The preferred form of the casting machine 14 is powered by a reversible electric motor E, as more particularly shown and described in the application Serial No. 387,197 referred to above. When the motor runs in one direction, it furnishes the power for all of the mold opening operations of the casting machine and when operated in the opposite direction, it closes all of the operative mold parts of the casting machine. The motor is wired in such a manner that by touching one starter button, the motor will run in the mold opening direction until stopped by a limit switch. A second starter button may then be operated to run in the mold closing direction until again brought to a stop by a limit switch. As well known in such reversible motor operation, a safety device is provided which makes each starter switch entirely inoperative while the motor is running in the opposite direction. When correctly connected to a source of power, the casting machine 14 is self-contained. Each stall 15 is provided with a standard outlet as indicated by the reference character 20 in Figure 1. Power may be brought to this outlet 20 by standard procedure well known to those skilled in the electrical art. The casting machine 14 is provided with a power connecting device illustrated by the reference character 21 in Figure l of the drawings. The outlet 20 and the connecting device 21 are alignable and, therefore, when the casting machine 14 is placed in the stall 15, the electrical connections are made automatically. The wiring in each stall 15 can be tested with a master casting machine until proven to be properly operative. Likewise, each casting machine 14 can be tested in a master stall until all operating features of the machine are in perfect operative form thereby insuring correct operation of the molding machine in any stall.

Under these conditions, all that is necessary to remove a casting machine is to remove the two locking pins 19 and pull the machine out of its stall. To install a new machine is merely pushed into the stall and the two locking pins 19 inserted. The new machine is then ready for service and neither the removal of the old machine nor the installation of a new machine necessitates stopping the turntable or in any way afiiects the operation of the other casting machines or the general molding procedure of the foundry.

In order to remove the human element, both from a labor and error standpoint, delivery of molten metal to the casting machine is made largely independent of human assistance. A swinging delivery conveyor in the form of a pivotally suspended swinging tube 28, as taught in the application Serial No. 387,233 entitled Foundry System is employed to successively deliver molten metal from pump 11 to the molds M of the casting machines 14 while the turntable 67 is in motion. A motor 12 drives a crank 74 through a gear drive mechanism 26 and the crank raises and lowers a vertical shaft 75. Shaft 75 is firmly supported in bearings 75 to prevent it from tipping sidewise, and has a horizontal arm 27 fastened and braced to it so that arm 27 can raise and lower the plunger 83 in pump 11 and deliver molten metal to the swinging tube 28. A limit switch S of a type well known in the electrical art is positioned so as to be contracted by crank 74 to stop motor 12 when crank 74 has made one full revolution.

Delivery tube 28 carries a weight W that swings it to the right in Figure 1 against a stop 30. As shown in Figure 6 and as set forth in the copending application Serial No. 387,233 referred to above, the leading edge of the feed gate of the mold M is low enough to pass under the end of the tube 28 but the rear edge is high enough to strike it and push it along until the mold has moved so far that the arc of swing of the tube 28 causes the end thereof to slide over the edge of the gate and swing back to the stop 30. The full outline of the tube 28 is just being pushed away from stop 30 and the dotted line position of the tube illustrates the magnitude of swing. Metal delivered at any time during the feed swing of the tube 28 will reach the mold. The pump delivers a charge of metal in about one second, the delivery tube 28 has a steep slope, and tube 28 contacts the gate of the mold four or more seconds, so no trouble is experienced in delivering the full charge without any waste on the return stroke of tube 28.

As illustrated in Figure 2, casting machine 14 has a rear shaft 25 which rotates about its longitudinal axis as the mold parts of the machine 14 are opened and closed.

As more particularly described in my copending application Serial No. 387,197 above referred to, the shaft 25 actuates the movable mold parts and rotates approxi mately 270 degrees in bringing the machine to a closed position and then moves slightly farther to a locked position, where the mold parts in position to receive a charge of molten metal. In other words, shaft 25 has one and only one position representing a condition wherein the casting machine ;14 is ready to receive molten metal. If the mold parts are open, or not fully locked, the shaft 25 will not be in the position illustrated in Figure 2.

An actuation device, pictured generally as an arm 23 in Figure 2 and shown in detail construction in Figure 3 of the drawings it attached to the shaft 25. The end of the arm 23 is split and clamped together upon shaft 25 by means of bolt 34. Thus, the position of arm 23 can be selected with respect to the position of shaft 25 to extend the arm 23 from the casting machine in any desired direction. In Figure 2, the selected direction is horizontally to the rear. A control starter button 22 is mounted on a suitablepost 24 adjacent to the turntable 67 in position to be contacted by the arm 23 whenever the mold sections are completely closed thereby causing the arm 23 to extend in the horizontal direction illustrated in Figure 2. In other words, control starter button 22 can be contacted by arm 23 only when the mold sections are completely closed. The control starter button 22 is electrically wired to control the motor 12 and, therefore, cause delivery of molten metal by the pump 11 and tube 28 as previously described. Proper location of the post 24 will cause the motor 12 to be activated at the proper instant to start pump delivery of the molten metal. The location of the control starter button 22 may be ad justed as .desired to cause the activation of the motor 12 earlier or later as required for correct delivery of molten metal.

Although the mold could be opened manually by pressing an opening starter button, it is preferred to make this operation responsive to the relative position of the casting machine with respect to the distance traveled past the furnace. The mold opening contact button 31 is placed near the bottom of the casting machine 14. A contactor 32 positioned on the floor adjacent to the turntable, preferably about two-thirds of the way around the turntable It is possible by this means to use molds of variable volu-' metric capacity in the same production run.

from the furnace. The speed of the turntable is then adjusted until the time required to carry the casting machine this distance will give the metal a chance to solidify and cool to the point where it is ready to have the mold opened and the casting removed. Either the speed of the turntable or the location of contactor 32 can be changed to compensate for diiferent chill times desirable for different castings and since the turntable runs at a constant speed an accurate chill time is assured after these adjustments are correctly made.

If, for any reason, the casting machine should fail to open and the mold be made ready to receive another charge of metal, the shaft would not be rotated out of the contact position illustrated in Figure 2; and, consequently, the button 22 would be actuated to send another charge of metal to the machine. In order to prevent such occurrence, a safety device 33 is provided at a station subsequent to the location of the post 32. The post for this safety device is provided to act as aninactivation means to render the actuation arm 23 inoperative. In the mechanical contact type of actuation device represented by the arm 23, the safety device 33 serves as a mechanical arm deflector.

In Figure 3, a preferred form of mechanical construction for a deflectable arm 23 is illustrated in some detail. In this embodiment, the arm 23 comprises a body member 70 and a tip member 35. The body member 70 is split and provided with the bolt 34 to clamp the body member 70 upon the shaft 25. A longitudinal cavity 71 is provided in body 70 to receive the tip member 35. The tip member 35 is longitudinally reciprocable into the cavity 71; and, therefore, the arm 23 is adapted to be shortened by telescoping of the tip member 35 into the cavity 71. Tip member 35 has an annular groove 37 as illustrated in Figure 3. Detent means 72 having spring pressed balls 36 therein press into the groove 37 and provide yieldable retention means to hold the tip 35 longitudinally extended with respect to body 70 for normal operation. Tip 35 is prevented from turning or coming out of cavity 71 by a pin 39 passing'through a slot 40 in tip 35. The retaining force of the spring pressed balls 36 is sufiicient to hold the tip 35 properly extended to actuate the control button 22.

Under sufficient force, however, the tip 35 can be moved against the retaining force of balls 36 back into the cavity 71. Once moved back into the cavity 71, the tip 35 will remain retracted until the operator withdraws the tip 35 to its proper operating position. The safety device 33, located at a station beyond the normal opening station 32 for the casting machine, is provided with a wheel 41. Wheel 41 has a location in the path of the tip 35 of the actuator arm 23, similar to starter button 22, except that it extends a little closer to the center of the turntable. Should the casting machine open at station 32, as it should, arm 23 will rotate rapidly out of its horizontal position and will not contact wheel 41, but should the machine fail to open and thus allow arm 23 to continue to extend horizontally to the rear, tip 35 will strike roller 41 and be telescoped into the longitudinal cavity of arm 23. Therefore, the arm 23 will be too short to contact the control starter button 22 when it again reaches that station. Consequently, the pump will not be initiated to deliver metal when the mold passes the furnace a second time even when completely closed. All that is needed to put the casting machine back into operating condition is to pull the tip 35 out until the balls 36 snap back into grooves 37. This can be done manually.

A further feature of this invention is the provision of volume control means for the pump 11 carried by each individual casting machine 14 and controlling the exact amount of metal delivered to each individual mold. This pump 11 and volume control 73 are shown in Figure 4.

. graphite and is adapted to be submerged in the metal in a holding furnace 81, as shown in Figure 4. The body has a plunger chamber 82 in which is reciprocated a plunger 83 having its upper end extended through a collar 84. The vertical reciprocatory shaft 75 of a variable contrel device 73 is mounted in suitable guides 75' and is rigidly connected by the overhanging lateral arm 27 to the upper end of a plunger rod 85 operating through a suitable guide bearing 86. The pump body 80 is provided with a lateral extension 87 having a metal passage therethrough, through which metal from the furnace 81 is drawn into the plunger chamber through an upwardly opening zirconia valve 88, and through which passage metal is forced out of the chamber 82, through an upwardly opening outlet valve 89 to a vertical discharge tube 90 of silicon carbide or fused alumina. This discharge tube has a lateral outlet end 91 disposed above the inlet end of the swingable tube 28 which delivers molten metal to the molds as they move around with the turntable 67. When the plunger 83 is lifted by a crank 74, valve 89 remains seated while valve 88 raises to allow metal to push in from furnace 81 to the chamber 82. When the plunger 83 is forced down by the crank 74, valve 88 remains seated While valve 89 is lifted and metal is forced out through the delivery tube 90. The amount of metal delivered by each stroke of the phmger 83 will vary with the length of the stroke. By providing the variable control device 73, the charge of metal delivered through the tube 90 and delivery tube 28 can be varied as between molds, but held constant for each one of them.

As stated above, the shaft 75 which reciprocates the plunger 83, is reciprocated by the crank 74 driven by a gear mechanism 26 which is driven by a belt 13 from the electric motor 12. This motor is started when the actuator arm 23 of each casting machine operates the pump starter control 22 to send a charge of metal from the pump to the mold. The drive connection from the crank 74 to the shaft 75 is made by a tension spring 95 and a pitman 96. The pitman 96 is connected at one end to the crank 74 and at its opposite end to a sleeve 97. The spring 95 is connected to the top of this sleeveand to the shaft 75 below the sleeve, and has enough strength, with an adequate factor of safety, to operate the shaft 75 and the plunger 83 of the displacement pump as the crank operates them. Beneath the lower guide 75', the shaft 75 is provided with a diametrically extending slot 98 through which a triangular adjustable slide 99 of the control device 73 may be adjusted to limit the stroke of the rod 75 and plunger 83 and at the same time allow the crank 74 to make a complete revolution by the yielding of the spring 95. When the bottom of slot 98 of rod 75 strikes the inclined edge 100 of the slide 99, the rod 75 and plunger 83 will be stopped or their strokes controlled to cause the pump to displace the required amount of metal to fill the mold. By moving the slide 99 lengthwise to the desired relation with the slot 98, the stroke of the pump plunger can be accurately controlled. In order that the control device 73 can be adjusted by each individual casting machine for the amount of metal required to fill its particular mold. The slide 99 is provided with an actuation rod 101 attached thereto having a contact plate 102 against which pressure can be exerted by a roller 61 carried by a long cam lever 59 pivoted beyond the turntable as at 60. A roller 63 is adjustably mounted on each casting machine to be adjusted different distances from the: turntable s as to cause the stroke of the pump 11 to be varied depending upon the volume of the charge of metal required by a particular mold pass ing the pump. This roller 63 is rotatably mounted at the outer end of a square shaft 62 passing through a square hole in the frame of each casting machine, as shown in Figure 2. This shaft is internally threaded to receive threaded shaft 64 which is turned by a crank 65 to project the roller 63 difierent distances from the periphcry of the turntable. As each casting machine carries its roller 63 into engagement with the lever 59, roller 61 will be moved to engage contact plate 162 of the variable control device 73 and move the slide 99 against the tension of a spring 103 to regulate amount of metal delivered by the pump.

Longitudinal adjustment of the roller 63 can be made between limits which prevent contact with the lever 5") entirely and an extended position which causes maximum control movement of the lever 59. Therefore, whenever roller 63 is at its limit of maximum extension, pump 11 will deliver no metal, even though motor 12 is caused to operate by arm 23 contacting starter button 22. Likewise, when roller 63 is fully retracted, pump 11 will deliver its full capacity and at intermediate points the delivery will be in porportion to the position of rollers 63.

Crank 65 is on the face of the molding machine where it is readily available to the molding attendant. If a mold is getting too little metal, the crank 65 can be turned to retract the roller 65 and decrease thedefiection of lever 59; and, consequently, the volume of the molten metal delivered will be increased. Conversely, extension of roller 63 will decrease the volume. Each molding machine will, therefore, have complete control of the quantity of metal being delivered at the time it is receiving metal and every mold can require a different amount of metal and get just the amount which it requires. This arrangement also makes it possible for one attendant to take care of all of the molds on a turntable while they are being warmed up in starting the molding operation, or makes it possible to warm up a new mold which has been installed after the molding cycle is in regular production.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. Foundry apparatus comprising, a conveyor, a casting machine on said conveyor, 21 partable mold on said casting machine, a source of molten metal adjacent to said conveyor, a delivery means capable of delivering metal to said mold as said casting machine passes said source of molten metal, a power-driven pump to pump metal into said dclivery means, a pump-starter control adjacent to said conveyor, a shaft in said casting machine that turns less than 360 degrees as said partable mold moves from fully open to fully closed and a pump starter actuator on said shaft aligned to contact said pump starter as said casting machine passes said source of molten metal with said mold closed.

2. A foundry apparatus, comprising, a conveyor with a casting machine thereon, a partable mold on said casting machine, power means to open and close said mold, a mold-opening control for said power means, a source of molten metal, delivery means including a powerdriven pump and a delivery means to deliver metal to said mold, a starter control for said pump, a moving member on said casting machine having a closed position reached only when said mold is completely closed, a pump-starter actuating means carried by said moving member of said casting machine and positioned to contact said pump-starter control when said casting machine is closed, a mold-opening actuator placed adjacent to the path of said conveyor and aligned to contact said mold-opening control at a moldopening station, and means placed beyond said mold opening station that will inactivate said pump-starter actuating means, should said mold fail to open at said mold-opening station.

3. A foundry apparatus comprising, a conveyor with a casting machine thereon equipped with a mold, a source of molten metal, a power-driven pump provided with a movable adjustment mechanism capable of controlling the volume of metal delivered to said mold by said pump in a single charge, delivery means capable of delivering said metal from said pump to said mold, and an adjustable means on said casting machine engageable with said adjustment mechanism to set the same to deliver a predetermined volume of metal to said mold, as said casting machine is passing said pump and receiving its charge of metal.

4. Molding equipment, comprising, a conveyor, a power-driven casting machine mounted on Wheels and having a section accurately formed to fit into a stall, a stall on said conveyor connected to a source of electric power and having a section formed to fit said casting machine, electrical contacts attached to said casting machine and stall and aligned to make electrical contact when said casting machine is in place in said stall, means to fasten said casting machine in said stall, a partable mold in said casting machine, a source of molten metal, a one-cycle power-driven pump and conveyor capable of delivering metal to said mold, said pump being equipped with an adjustment to control the volume of metal delivered, a pump-starting control located at a predetermined point adjacent to said conveyor, a pumpstarter actuator on a moving part of said casting machine, said pump-starter actuator having a position occupied only when said mold is closed and being aligned to contact said pump-starter control as said conveyor carries a closed mold past said pump-starter, a mold-openin g control on said casting machine, a mold-opening control actuator located adjacent to said conveyor, and aligned to contact said mold-opening control as said conveyor carries said casting machine past a mold-opening station, means placed adjacent to said conveyor beyond said opening station and aligned to inactivate said pump starter should said mold fail to open at said opening station, and a pump-adjustment regulator on said casting machine capable of regulating said adjustment on said pump.

5. Foundry apparatus comprising, a source of molten metal, delivery means including a power-driven single stroke pump, a conveyor movable in an endless path relative to said source, a casting machine including a partable mold on said conveyor and movable past said source, means for varying the stroke of said pump to vary the volume of metal delivered by said pump to said mold as it passes said source including an adjustable control memher and means carried by said casting machine that is engageable with said control member to adjust the same, a starter control for said pump, and power-driven means carried by said casting machine for opening and closing said mold including a member operated thereby and having diiferent positions relative. to said conveyor and said starter control when the mold is open and when the mold is closed and being positioned to operate said starter control only when said mold is closed.

6. Foundry apparatus comprising, a source of molten metal, a power-driven pump, a conveyor movable in an endless path relative to said source, a partable mold on said conveyor and movable thereby past said source, delivery means to deliver metal from said pump to said mold as it passes said source of metal, a starter control for said pump mounted beyond said conveyor, power-driven means carried by said casting machine for opening and closing said mold including a member operated thereby and having different positions relative to said conveyor and starter control when the mold is open and when the mold is closed and being positioned to operate said starter control only when said mold is closed, said mold having a mold opening control, a mold opening control actuator located adjacent to said conveyor and aligned to contact said mold opening control as said conveyor carries said mold past a mold opening station, and means located adjacent said conveyor beyond said opening station and arranged to inactivate said pump starter control, should said mold fail to open at said opening station.

7. A foundry apparatus, comprising, a conveyor, a casting machine having its own electric power means to open and close said casting machine, said electric power means having its own electric power connections, a mold on said casting machine, stalls on said conveyor framed to fit said casting machine, said stalls being connected to a source of electric power and equipped with electrical connections adapted to make contact with said power c0nnections on said casting machine, a section on said casting machine formed to fit into any one of said stalls said cast- 10 ing machines being aligned to make contact with said electrical connections in any one of said stalls when said casting machine is in place in said stall, and means to removably fasten said casting machine in place in said stall.

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